
matically. All of the vehicle's systems remain
active. If you open the door, unfasten your
seat belt or remove your foot from the brake
pedal, the engine will automatically start. The
vehicle may begi nmoving. You could suffer
serious or even fatal injury or cause an acci-
dent resulting in injury or death.
Never leave the vehicle while the ECO symbol
in the multifunction display is shown in green
or yellow .Always secure the vehicle against
rolling away before leaving it.
! Always switch the ignition off and take the
key with you when leaving the vehicle.
Automatic engine switch-off The engine is only switched off if:
R
the outside temperature is within the range
that is suitable for the system.
R the engine is at normal operating temper-
ature.
R the set temperature for the vehicle interior
has been reached.
R the battery is sufficiently charged.
R the system detects that the windscreen is
not misted up when the air-conditioning
system is switched on.
R the bonnet is closed.
R the vehicle is not being steered.
R the driver's door is closed and the seat belt
is fastened.
i The engine can be switched off automat-
ically a maximum of four times (initial stop
and three repeats) in succession .The ECO
symbol is shown in yellow in the multifunc-
tion display after the engine has been star-
ted automatically for the fourth time. The
engine can only be switched off automati-
cally again when the ECO symbol is shown
in green in the multifunction display.
i During an automatic engine switch-off, air
conditioning is reduced. If full air condition-
ing is required, the ECO start/stop function can be switched off with the ECO button
(Y
page 142).
Vehicles with manual transmission The ECO start/stop function switches off the
engine automatically at low speeds.
X
Brake the vehicle until it comes to a stand-
still.
X Engage neutral N(Ypage 145) (follow
gearshift instruction :to engage neutral
N, if necessary).
X Release the clutch pedal.
The engine is switched off automatically.
Vehicles with automatic transmission
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically if the vehicle is
braked to a standstill and the brake remains
depressed with the transmission in position
D or N.
i You can still activate HOLD when the vehi-
cle is stationary, even if the engine has
been switched off automatically .Itis then
not necessary to continue applying the
brakes during the automatic stop phase.
When you depress the accelerator pedal,
the engine starts automatically and the
braking effect of the HOLD function is deac-
tivated. Depress the accelerator pedal
carefully, as the engine must be started
first. Driving
141Driving and parking Z

on vehicles with automatic transmission,
select shift range
1,2or 3.
i This also applies if you have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
the speed. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
Never depress the brake pedal continuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by applying constant slight
pedal pressure. This causes the brake system
to overheat, increases the braking distance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately, but
drive on for a short while. This allows the air-
flow to cool the brakes more quickly.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionally test their effective-
ness. To do this, brake more firmly from a
higher speed. This improves the grip of the
brakes.
Wet road surface If driving in heavy rain for a prolonged period
of time without braking, there may be a
delayed reaction from the brakes when brak-
ing for the first time. This may also occur after
the vehicle has been washed.
You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a greater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehi-
cle washed, brake firmly while paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm
up the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protecting them against corro-
sion. Limited braking performance on salt
treated roads G
WARNING
The layer of salt on the brake discs and the
brake pads/linings may cause a delay in the
braking effect, resulting in a significantly lon-
ger braking distance, which could lead to an
accident.
To avoid this danger, you should:
R occasionally brake carefully, without put-
ting other road users at risk, when you are
driving on salted roads. This helps to
remove any salt that may have started to
build up on the brake discs and the brake
pads/linings.
R maintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead and drive with particular care.
R carefully apply the brakes at the end of a
trip and immediately after commencing a
new trip, so that salt residues are removed
from the brake discs.
New brake pads/linings G
WARNING
New brake pads/linings only reach their opti-
mum braking effect after several hundred kil-
ometres of driving. Before this optimum brak-
ing effect is reached, you should compensate
for the reduced braking effect by applying
greater pressure when braking. This also
applies after the brake discs or the brake
pads/linings have been replaced.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only have brake pads/linings
fitted to your vehicle which have been
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which correspond to an equivalent quality
standard. Brake pads/linings which have not
been approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which are not of an equivalent quality could
affect your vehicle's operating safety. 160
Driving tipsDriving and parking

High-performance brake system for
AMG vehicles The high-performance brake system is
designed for heavy loads. This may lead to
noise when braking. This willd epend on:
R speed
R braking force
R environmental conditions, such as temper-
ature and humidity
The wear of individual components of the
brake system, such as the brake pads/linings
or brake discs, depends on the individual driv-
ing style and operating conditions.
For this reason, it is impossible to state a
mileage that will be valid under all circum-
stances. An aggressive driving style will lead
to high wear. You can obtain further informa-
tion about this from your Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre. Tyre traction
G
WARNING
Whereas the vehicle can be fully controlled at
a certain speed on dry roads, you must reduce
your speed on wet or icy roads to achieve the
same road safety. You could otherwise cause
an accident.
Pay particular attention to the road conditions
at temperatures around freezing point.
If ice has formed on the road surface (e.g.
from fog), a thin film of water rapidly forms on
the ice when you brake, considerably reduc-
ing tyre traction. Drive with particular care in
such weather conditions. Driving on wet roads
Aquaplaning If water has accumulated to a certain depth
on the road surface, there is a danger of aqua-
planing occurring, even if:
R
you drive at low speeds
R the tyres have adequate tread depth
For this reason, do not drive in tyre ruts, and
brake carefully.
Driving on flooded roads If you have to drive on stretches of road on
which water has collected, please bear in
mind that:
R
the maximum permitted still water depth is
25 cm.
R you should drive no faster than at walking
pace.
! Bear in mind that vehicles travelling in
front or in the opposite direction create
waves. This may cause the maximum per-
missible water depth to be exceeded.
These notes must be observed under all
circumstances. You could otherwise dam-
age the engine, the electronics or the trans-
mission. Winter driving
General notes G
WARNING
If the vehicle becomes trapped in snow,
ensure that snow is kept away from the
exhaust pipe and from around the vehicle as
long as the engine is running. Otherwise, poi-
sonous carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the
vehicle, resulting in loss of consciousness and
even death.
To assure sufficien tfresh air ventilation, open
a window slightly on the side of the vehicle
not facing the wind. Driving tips
161Driving and parking Z

On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially if the vehicle is laden or towing a trailer,
you must select shift range 1,2or 3in good
time. By doing so, you will make use of the
braking effect of the engine, which relieves
the load on the brake system and prevents
the brakes from overheating and wearing too
quickly.
If a slower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
DISTRONIC PLUS causes your vehicle to
brake and maintain a preset distance to the
vehicle in front. G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS is only an aid designed to
assist driving. The driver remains fully respon-
sible for the vehicle's distance from other
vehicles, the vehicle's speed and for braking
in good time.
DISTRONIC PLUS does not react in particular
to:
R pedestrians
R stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossing traffic
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow vehi-
cles driving in front,e .g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on a different line. Therefore,
always pay attention to traffic conditions even
when DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise dangers in
time, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions. If DISTRONIC doe snot
recognise or no longer recognises the vehicle
in front, do not activate DISTRONIC or, if it is
already active, deactivate it. This is especially
the case:
R before corners
R on filter lanes
R when changing to a lane with faster moving
traffic
R in complex driving situations or where lanes
are diverted, e.g. at roadworks on a motor-
way
DISTRONIC PLUS otherwise maintains the
current speed set by you or accelerates up to
the set speed.
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take account of
weather conditions. Deactivate, or do not
activate, DISTRONIC PLUS:
R if the roads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy. The wheels could lose their grip when
braking or accelerating. The vehicle could
start to skid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poor vis-
ibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog. Dis-
tance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when DISTRONIC PLUS is activated.
Otherwise, you may fail to recognise dangers
in time, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others.
! You must deactivate the radar sensor sys-
tem in certain countries and near radio
telescope facilities. You will find further
information under "Radar sensor system"
in the index.
The radar sensor system is automatically
deactivated near radio telescope facilities
(Y page 363).
If you want DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you,
the radar sensor system must be activated
(Y page 226) and operational. Driving systems
165Driving and parking Z

still detects typical indicators of fatigue or
increasing lapses in concentration, you will be
warned againa fter 15 minutes at the earliest.
ATTENTION ASSIST is reset when you con-
tinue you rjourney and it starts assessing your
tiredness again if:
R you switch off the engine.
R you take off your seat belt and open the
driver's door, e.g. for a change of drivers or
to take a break. Speed Limit Assist
Important safety notes i
Speed Limit Assist is not operational in all
countries.
Speed Limit Assist shows you detected speed
limits in the multifunction display .Data from
the navigation system is also used for this
purpose. The display appears if a traffic sign
indicating a speed limit or the end of a speed
limit is detected. If Speed Limit Assist does
no td etec tany traffic signs, the speed limit
from the digital road ma pis taken and shown
in the display.
Speed Limit Assist detects the traffic signs
with a camera at the top of the windscreen. :
Speed Limit Assist camera G
WARNING
Speed Limit Assist is only an aid and may
detect speed limit signs incorrectly or not at
all. The system may be impaired or may not func-
tion if:
R
there is poor visibility, e.g. due to snow,
rain, fog or spray.
R there is glare, e.g. from the sun or from
oncoming traffic.
R the windscreen is dirty, misted up or cov-
ered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicinity
of the camera.
R the traffic signs are covered, for instance
by dirt, snow or trees.
R the traffic signs are poorly illuminated.
R there are ambiguous traffic signs, for
instance near roadworks or on multi-lane
roads.
Traffic signs always have priority over the
Speed Limit Assist display. Speed Limit Assist
cannot detect road and traffic conditions. It is
not a substitute for attentive driving.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognise dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourselfa nd others.
Information in the multifunction display Example
:vehicles featurin gautomatic transmis-
sion with a selecto rlever
: Traffic sign indicating aspeed limit or the
end of a speed limit
; Speed Limit Assist is available and the
warning function is switched on in the on-
board computer
= Units used in the traffic sign displayed Driving systems
189Driving and parking Z

If the
miles display unit is selected, the assis-
tance range begins at 40 mph. G
WARNING
Lane Keeping Assist does not keep yourv ehi-
cle in its lane. It is only an aid and may detect
the lane markings on the road incorrectly or
not at all.
The system may be impaired or may not func-
tion if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insuffi-
cient illumination of the road, or due to
snow, rain, fog or spray.
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
the sun, or reflection from other vehicles.
R the windscreen is dirty, misted up or cov-
ered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicinity
of the camera
R several or no lane markings for a single lane
are present.
R the lane markings are worn away, dark or
covered up, e.g. by dirt or snow.
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
detected.
R the lane markings on the road are unclear,
e.g. near roadworks.
R the lane markings change quickly, e.g.
lanes branch off, cross one another or
merge.
R the road is narrow and winding.
Lane Keeping Assist cannot detect road and
traffic conditions. It is not a substitute for
attentive driving. You are responsible for the
vehicle's speed, braking in good time, and
steering correctly. Always adapt your driving
style to suit the prevailing road and weather
conditions. Always pay attention to traffic
conditions and your surroundings. Otherwise,
you may fail to recognise dangers in time,
cause an acciden tand injure yoursel fand oth-
ers.
A warning may be given if a front wheel
passes ove ralane marking. It will warn you by means of intermittent vibration in the
steering wheel for up to 1.
5seconds.
In order that you are warned only when nec-
essary and in good time if you cross the lane
marking, the system recognises certain con-
ditions and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
R you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend.
R the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a motor-
way.
R the system recognises solid lane markings.
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes.
R you cut the corner on a bend.
No warning vibration occurs if:
R you clearly and actively steer, brake, or
accelerate.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R you have switched on the turn signals. In
this event, the warnings are suppressed for
a certain period of time.
Activating Lane Keeping Assist Example: vehicles with automatic transmission
X
Activate Lane Keeping Assist using the on-
board computer (Y page 222).
Symbol :appears in the multifunction
display.
If you drive at speeds above 60 km/h and
lane markings are detected, symbol :is
displayed in green. Lane Keeping Assist is
ready for use. Driving systems
193Driving and parking Z

Active Driving Assistance package
General notes The Active Driving Assistance package con-
sists of DISTRONIC PLU
S(Ypage 164), Active
Blind Spot Assist (Y page 194) and Active
Lane Keeping Assist (Y page 197).
Active Blind Spot Assist Important safety notes
Active Blind Spot Assist uses a radar sensor
system to monitor the side areas of your vehi-
cle that are behind the driver. Awarning dis-
play in the exterior mirrors draws your atten-
tio nt o detected vehicles in the monitored
area. If you then switch on the corresponding
turn signal to change lane, you will also
receive a visual and acoustic collision warn-
ing. If a risk of lateral collision is detected,
corrective braking may help you avoid a col-
lision. To support the course-correcting brake
application, Active Blind Spot Assist also uses
the forward-facing radar sensor system.
Active Blind Spot Assist provides assistance
at speeds higher than about 30 km/h. G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist is only an aid and may
detect vehicles/obstacles incorrectly or not
at all.
The system may be impaired or may not func-
tion if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to snow,
rain, fog or spray.
R the rear and/or front sensors are dirty.
Active Blind Spot Assist may not detect nar-
row vehicles, such as motorcycles or bicycles,
or only detect them too late. It cannot detect
vehicles which are overtaken at a small dis-
tance and then enter the blind spot area.
Active Blind Spot Assist cannot detect road
and traffic conditions. It is not a substitute for
attentive driving. You are responsible for the
vehicle's speed, braking in good time, and
steering correctly. Always adapt your driving style to suit the prevailing road and weather
conditions. Always pay attention to traffic
conditions and your surroundings. Otherwise,
you may fail to recognise dangers in time,
cause an accident and injure yourself and oth-
ers.
The radar sensor system is automatically
deactivated near radio telescope facilities
(Y page 363).
For Active Blind Spot Assist to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must
be activated (Y page 226) and operational.
Monitoring range
Active Blind Spot Assist monitors the area up
to three metres behind your vehicle and
directly next to your vehicle, as shown in the
diagram. For this purpose, Active Blind Spot
Assist uses radar sensors in the rear bumper. G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist monitors certain
areas in the immediate vicinity of your vehicle.
Vehicles that approach and drive past at high
speeds are not detected. No visual nor audi-
ble warnings are emitted and the system does
not brake the vehicle to correct your course.
If the lanes are very wide, it may not be pos-
sible to monitor the complete width of the
neighbouring lane. For this reason, vehicles in 194
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Trailer towing
If you attach a trailer, make sure you have
correctly established the electrical connec-
tion. This can be accomplished by checking
the traile rlighting. Active Blind Spot Assist is
the ndeactivated. The indicator lamp in the
exterior mirrors lights up yellow, and the
Active Blind Spot Assist currently unavailable See Owner's Manual mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
Active Lane Keeping Assist Important safety notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area
in fron tofyour vehicle by means of a camera
at the top of the windscreen. Active Lane
Keeping Assist detects lane markings on the
road and warns you before you leave your
lane unintentionally. If you do not react to the
warning, a lane-correcting application of the
brakes can bring the vehicle back into the
original lane. :
Active Lane Keeping Assist camera
If you have selected the Display unitSpeed-/odometer: (Y
page 223) function in
the on-board computer and select kmkm as
the unit of measurement, Active Lane Keep-
ing Assist is active from speeds of 60 km/h.
If the miles display unit is selected, the assis-
tance range begins at 40 mph. G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not keep
your vehicle in its lane. It is only an aid and may detect the lane markings on the road
incorrectly or not at all.
The system may be impaired or may not func-
tion if:
R
several or no lane markings for a single lane
are present.
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insuffi-
cient illumination of the road, or due to
snow, rain, fog or spray.
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
the sun, or reflection from other vehicles.
R the windscreen is dirty, misted up or cov-
ered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicinity
of the camera.
R the lane markings are worn away, dark or
covered up, e.g. by dirt or snow.
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
detected.
R the lane markings on the road are unclear,
e.g. near roadworks.
R the lane markings change quickly, e.g.
lanes branch off, cross one another or
merge.
R the road is narrow and winding.
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot detect
road and traffic conditions. It is not a substi-
tute for attentive driving. You are responsible
for the vehicle's speed, braking in good time,
and steering correctly. Always adapt your
driving style to suit the prevailing road and
weather conditions. Always pay attention to
traffic conditions and your surroundings. Oth-
erwise, you may fail to recognise dangers in
time, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others.
Warning vibration in the steering wheel
A warning may be given if a front wheel
passes over a lane marking. You will be
warned by way of intermittent vibrations in
the steering wheel for up to 1.5 seconds.
In order that you are warned only when nec-
essary and in good time if you cross the lane Driving systems
197Driving and parking Z